Shayne Whittington became the first Western Michigan men's basketball player since Ben Handlogten and the first Bronco to play under head coach Steve Hawkins to earn a spot on an NBA roster today, agreeing in principle to sign a contract with the Indiana Pacers. No contract can be signed until next week, at the beginning of the NBA's free agency period.

"I got the phone call from my agent Herb [Rudoy] this morning, and I had an instant smile on my face," said Whittington. "He said, 'Shayne, you're going to be a Pacer.' It was really emotional, and all I could think to do was call my family and let them know."

Whittington concluded his five-year career at Western Michigan by leading the Broncos to their first Mid-American Conference regular season and Tournament titles since the 2003-04 season, as well as a trip to the NCAA Tournament. He was named First Team All-MAC in 2013-14 one year after earning Second Team All- Mid-American Conference honors, improving in nearly every category across the board. Whittington was one of just two players in the MAC to rank in the top-four in both scoring (4th - 16.1 ppg) and rebounding (3rd - 8.8 rpg), and his 52.6 field goal percentage ranked eighth among MAC players. He became the 38th player in program history to record 1,000 career points, and he was honored as MAC West Player of the Week four times this year, including three straight times from Feb. 17 - March 3.